Effect of Inclination Angle and Filling Ratio on Thermal Performance of a Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphon under Normal Operating Conditions

• Published in: Heat transfer engineering 2007-04, Vol.28 (4), p.365-371
• Main Authors: Noie, S. H., Sarmasti Emami, M. R., Khoshnoodi, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Heat pipes
• ISSN: 0145-7632; 1521-0537
• DOI: 10.1080/01457630601122997

In this paper, the effect of the inclination angle on the thermal performance of a two-phase closed thermosyphon with different filling ratios has been investigated experimentally under normal operating conditions. A series of experiments were carried out for inclination angle range of 5°-90° and filling ratios of 15%, 22%, and 30%. A copper thermosyphon with an outside diameter of 16 mm, an inside diameter of 14.5 mm, and a length of 1000 mm was employed. Distilled water was used as the working fluid. The results show that the two-phase closed thermosyphon has the highest thermal performance in the inclination angle range of 15°-60°. A good agreement was observed between the experimental results of this study and those available in the open literature. The interesting phenomenon of geyser boiling occurred in our experiments for filling ratios equal or greater than 30%. The geyser boiling puts no limitation on thermal performance of thermosyphon, but it should be avoided because it damages the condenser end cap due to the slug striking.